The Prince and the Sorceress
by Empy Mai
Summary: Magic does not a fairy tale make. Love, on the other hand, is another story. Chalant drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

Haha I'm not terribly active in the Young Justice fandom though I do enjoy the show. My friend is a huge fan of it as well. I hadn't talked to her in so long but we caught up recently and her enthusiasm sort of sparked my desire to contribute something to the fans. There's never enough Chalant, in my humble opinion, so here are a few short things to savor. I hope you enjoy. Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.

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He's always been a clever boy. It's no surprise. It's basically a given considering he plays partner to the world's greatest detective (he doesn't like to use the term sidekick). There's no doubt he has brains. And the brawn? Not too shabby either, though he knew he'd never hold a candle to Connor, not that he minded. His mind was his most treasured and potent weapon, but there was one thing he could never really wrap his head around.

Magic, sorcery, witchcraft. Whatever the name, understanding of it remained forever elusive. He'd seen it firsthand of course, he'd seen aliens too. Some people had trouble believing in either of them. But aliens were flesh and bone. They were tangible. Magic was something else entirely. It was a sleight of the hand, a turn of phrase, defined by its transience.

He didn't know how it worked or the mechanisms behind it. It was likely he'd never truly understand. But when he holds Zatanna in his arms, feels the strands of her hair brush against his bare skin, and hears her tinkling laugh as she leans into him, he knows it's nothing short of magic.

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He started when he felt the press cloth against his eyes. He must have been more tired than he had thought. He didn't bother fighting the grin that crept across his face. He didn't need to see to know who those gloved hands belonged to. Warm breath ghosted over his ears before he had a chance to reprimand the culprit.

"I evol ouy"

I evol ouy? I… evol… ouy…

_I love you._

His eyes widened and he whirled out of her grasp. Blue eyes met blue. He wondered if he was blushing; Batman would kill him. The blood was pounding in his ears.

"T-that's not a spell."

He winced at the stutter. Oh yes, Batman would kill him if he found out. Play it cool Boy Wonder.

An easy smile graced her face as edged closer.

"I know. I just wanted to see the look on your face when you figured it out."


	2. In the Kitchen

Trembling hands grasped the handle and jerked the hot lid away. A gust of steam burst forth and sent her spluttering backwards, her face hot. Zatanna didn't want to know what she looked like at the moment. She was sure she was a wreck. Her normal gloves, white and always kept meticulously clean, had been replaced by clumsy thick mitts in an unsettling pepto-bismol pink color. Over her clothes was tied a filly pink apron of a similar hue. The blue apron was grimy though, as she wiped her hands against the cotton, this one wasn't much better.

Zatanna had fought countless villains and duked it out with dozens of criminals. She was trained in combat and sorcery by the best in the business. And here she was, sweaty and tired, trying to make dinner. She hadn't thought it would be so difficult. Her father had cooked all the time. She remembered fondly the elaborate concoctions he would prepare. Most of them were old standbys passed down from his mother's mother to his mother to him. And they were all delicious. The warm nostalgia that filled her chest quickly turned into a chill that settled in the pit of her stomach. She wondered if she'd ever have the chance to eat her father's cooking again. If he'd ever be able to teach her his famous risotto or her favorite pasta. She wondered if she would ever see his face again and see his wise eyes smiling at her.

Her nails bit into the palms of her hands as she smothered the thoughts. She was going to save her father. She was going to laugh with him and smile with him and curl up in his arms even if she was far too old for such things. But she couldn't do it now. Not at this moment anyways. Today's order of business was a dinner.

She was trying to make Spaghetti. It turned out to be a messier, more taxing affair than she had anticipated. More than once the temptation to just magic everything into place crossed her mind but she stubbornly cast such notions aside. Her father had cooked without magic and she would as well. She was a member of the Justice League, darn it! She could handle a meal.

Cookery was a bit like sorcery. Taking bits of this and that and transforming it into something well, magical. And it could be molded and changed depending whatever whim or feeling the chef had. Zatanna eventually conquered the pasta. It just took a while. And perhaps things got a little messy, or even a lot messy, but she'd never tell. Not that she was complaining. Her dinner-mate didn't either.

"This is delicious, Zee" Dick said as he wolfed down a second helping with fervor.

Zatanna smiled into her plate. He really was a sweetheart. The pasta was cooked a little too long and the sauce might have been a bit on the salty side, but she couldn't imagine a better meal nor a person with whom she would rather share it.


	3. Rain

She only ever cried when it rained.

It was easier this way. To let the falling rain drops cascade against her face. To wash away any evidence of her sadness. If she tried, she could convince herself there weren't any tears at all, simply rain. Standing in a downpour reminded her of how small she was. How powerless she could be. She couldn't control the weather, not for long anyways. There were so many things in life out of her hands. She was a magician, but she'd never be god.

She'd told everyone she had accepted it. That she was alright. But to seen his body walking by and to know she couldn't hug him or ask him for advice was like the twist of a knife in her gut. His was a body on loan for who knows how long. She preferred the term stolen; it didn't matter that he'd volunteered. Being so close to him hurt. She'd tried to ignore the feelings, one hurt after another carefully locked away. But some always managed to slip out.

"Zee? What are you doing out here?"

Dick made his way towards the drenched girl, not caring that in a few moments he would be soaked as well.

She smiled back at him, but the look in her eyes said it all.

"I'm just… enjoying the rain."

He didn't need any more explanation than that, and pulled her into his arms without a word.

He held her until the rain stopped.


	4. Surprises

Another short little chalant piece. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to leave feedback.

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It had turned into a tradition. After that first New Year's surprise, Robin decided that the next year, he would return the favor. It was simple enough, three words whispered in her ear at the stroke of midnight. She kissed him again that night, of course, but that they both expected.

To say Zatanna accepted the challenge would be an understatement. The next New Year found a collection of stars rearranged into a constellation spelling out those very same words. That one had required a lot of work and more than a little help from her more magically inclined friends. It certainly delivered on the shock factor with a few unintended consequences on the side. The Justice League had to work overtime to deal with the massive effects shifting the stars had. Rearrangement of galaxies turned out to be a pretty significant no-no. Needless to say, Robin and Zatanna agreed to set a few guidelines for any subsequent plans.

It continued year after year. Sometimes the surprises were big, other years they were smaller and simpler. One year, Dick managed to coordinate the original team to do a dance number. The results "had character" as Zatanna liked to put it, and it became one of her favorite surprises. The Young Justice team made sure to destroy any evidence such an event took place. Dick had the only remaining copy, but they didn't need to know that.

Somehow, each year they managed to raise the bar. Dick smiled as he closed the tiny velvet box and slipped it in his pocket. This year's prize was going to be one to remember. He wondered how Zatanna would possibly be able to top him next year.


	5. I wanna be

"What did you want to be growing up?" Zatanna asked absently. She was propped up against a certain boy wonder's back as they both indulged in some relaxation and light reading.

Funny, it was such a common question but somehow, in all their years of knowing each other, it had never come up before.

"Me? Oh I don't know. I could never really decide if I wanted to stay in the circus with my family or be a cop. I guess now I kind of have the best of both worlds."

They both smiled. That simple description of Dick's occupation came nowhere near close to describing what he did day in and day out.

"How about you, Zee? What did you want to be? A princess? An astronaut?" There was a light teasing in his voice. She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, indulging in a little immaturity. She leaned back against Dick, pondering the question.

"I never wanted to be a princess." She admitted, "It's too boring. All they did was sit around and waited for some guy to show up. It didn't seem very fun." She fell silent. She'd had a dream since she was little, but it was something she kept to herself, really. She worried others would think the notion frivolous. It had been a dream for the longest time, guarded and protected over the years. It was too precious to send out into the world, vulnerable to reality's sometimes-cruel tendencies. She'd told Artemis once, a drowsy whisper more to the empty blackness that enveloped them rather than the girl falling asleep beside her. But sometimes secrets were meant to be shared, and she was tired of holding things in.

"I used to want to be a headliner." She said softly, as if afraid the rest of the world might somehow hear. "You know, have my own show. Is that corny? I'd watch my dad on stage and see the crowd and I couldn't help it. I wanted to be that person."

"So what's stopping you?" Dick slid away and turned to face her. "I can guarantee any show you'd do would sell out in a heartbeat."

Zatanna shook her head. "I don't know, really. I mean, would it really be right for me? I mean, super heroes aren't for entertainment, we save peoples' lives. That's our main motivation."

Nightwing thought for a moment. "I won't argue with that," he said, "but we have our own lives to live, even though that's easy to forget sometimes. And being able to cherish the life you choose to create for yourself helps make all life more precious."

Zatanna mulled over his words. Could she really do it? Hearing hims say it made it seem so easy, the decision so clear. Ever since joining the team and later the league, she hadn't done anything solely for herself. It seemed too selfish to spend time on trivial pursuits when she'd accepted the responsibility of protecting the world and its people. But it was easy to forget she was a person as well, and one that deserved to live her dreams instead of locking them away.

"You're right." She said, "I guess I was just scared. But... I want to do it. Isn't it crazy? The thought of me on stage?" Saying it out loud was like a weight lifting from her shoulders. She'd always given herself so many reasons why not but now, they seemed so trivial.

Dick reached out and took her hand in his.

"You'll be amazing." He said. "And just remember, you've got your number one fan right here."

"You gonna make yourself an official t-shirt?" Zatanna asked. Her attempts at sarcasm were marred by the grin spreading over her face.

"If you want. I'll wear proudly"

"You know," she said, fingering the edge of his shirt, "I think I'd rather you wear nothing at all."

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Woah, haha that took a quick turn! Whoopsie! Haha well I hope you enjoyed. Please feel free to leave feedback. I love reading what you think.


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